Dud Sea Scrawls The Writing, clearly, is not on the wall!

Murphy’s Law has been one of the most reliable things in life! I am sure you will agree to that!!! The annoying consistency of Murphy’s Law is … annoying! Why can’t it fail once in a while! Why does it have to apply itself precisely when one hopes that it doesn’t! Case in point is how things shaped up before the first major client presentation I had

After the first week of work, I was supposed to do this "Major" presentation to a fairly large and potentially troublesome set of folks from the client’s office.

The meeting was set up at 8.00 am in the morning! The guys who where no where to be seen in the office before 9 AM for the entire stretch of the last week, wanted to have this meeting at 8.00 in the morning so that we can have a fairly lengthy discussion of implications without any disturbance ! Agreed

I stay pretty far from office! Going by the prevalent local standards, it might not be far, but for me, it was! I had to catch a bus (sorry, cant drive car in the bay area traffic after driving in the fairly deserted stretches of Arizona deserts), then a train before I can reach the office.

I had to catch the 6.19 am bus so that I can catch the 6.32 train so that I can reach the office by 7.05 so that I can check the mail, run through the presentation once again, and take a breather before I enter the meeting room! I was perfectly set! The way the trains and busses operated on dot gave me immense confidence there was no way I was going to miss the 8.00 am meeting. I had ONE full hour buffer!!! NO Way!

Yeah, right!

There I was at 6.10 at the bus stop! I start twiddling the thumb typically couple of minutes before the actual time (for anything) So by 6.15 my thumbs started twiddling! 6.18, No bus, 6.20 No bus, 6.25 NO BUS! Shoot! I thought! Even though the frequency of the train was once in 15 minutes, the frequency of the busses where once in half an hour. I will not be able catch the 7.19 train either. I waited patiently for the 6.49 bus. Twiddling the thumbs! Cursing AC Transit, for canceling the bus or delaying it or taking it too early on the one day I wanted it to be on time!

6.49 bus! Bang, on time! I get in, breathe easy, I will be able to catch the 7.02 train. 7.35 at office ! Lot of time left !!! Cool !!! This is why you have to factor in for unexpected delays !!!

Bus goes to next stop, stops a couple guys hop in. And then this really really OLD lady steps in. Small, almost miniature as if shrunk, she had a walking stick to support and sloly stepped in. She slips her bus pass in that ticket slot, it spits back at her, after ensuring that she has paid for her trip. Then she shows another pass the "African American" lady at the drivers seat and asks a question. Time check 6.55. The lady says something , the driver says something, blah blah blah … Laugh !!! giggle. time check - 5 minutes for 7.02. Expression of shock on drivers face. Expression pride on old ladies face ! blah blah blah laughter laugh gigggle giggle ! Sheesh ! Ladies! CTC and move on! Gimme a break ! - 3 minutes to .7.02 Not going to happen! Again laugh, more giggle. Slowly the lady moves to seat and bus picks up speed. Enters the bus stand.

I jump off, extremely delighted to see some train standing up there and run to the platform! hmm, no luck that trains not going where i need to go. I wait for the next train.7.17 reaches at 7.42, still have enough time to be on time for the meeting ! Forget the mail and catch up and breather.

I board the train, Now, I think, nothing can go wrong! Trains are fairly simple that way, no traffic, nothing. Okay, twiddle twiddle twiddle, that’s all I can do. And I am fairly good at doing that at different speeds. The last but one stop, less than five minutes from there, I will be in office.

The train was about to start. The doors closed. Then the doors opened. Then the doors closed again. Then is opened again. And Stayed open. The driver came on the announcement system. He went on to announce that there was a problem with the doors. And that he , with the help of others, will now go to all the coaches and check the doors manually before the train can move on.

I stopped twiddling. I kind of calm was there in me! I tried! I still reached office. At 8.05. I calmly walked to the meeting room!

Murphy was still at work.

No one was there.

And for another 25 minutes, no one did show up.